The martensitic stainless steels CA15 with 11.5 weight percent maximum in chromium present austenitic structure to high temperatures (950-1000ºC), that is transformed in martensitic when properly cooled until room temperature. However, the thermal cycles control used in quenching and tempering thermal treatment are extremely important because studies have been showed that the mechanical resistance and the corrosion losses in these alloys can be assigned to carbides precipitation during the tempering. The results can contribute significantly to understand and solve problems entailed to the production control of these steels. These alloys are used as raw material for turbines, pump case and pump rotors production and equipments applied to petroleum exploration and extraction. This work has the objective of characterizing as cast and heat-treated martensitic stainless steel microstructure and determining the mechanical and corrosion properties after heat treatment.
martensitic stainless steel; corrosion; anodic polarization
